Seven Minutes in Heaven
by vnm-brittana
Summary: Jaden and Atticus organise a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. Chazz and Bastion get a lot more out of this game than they expected. / (BastionChazz, with mentioned AlexisMindyJasmine and onesided ChazzAlexis and JadenBastion. Smut in later chapters.)
1. Chapter 1

One evening at Duel Academy, Jaden had invited a bunch of his friends to come over to his dorm. Jaden, Syrus and Bastion were sitting on Jaden's bed, while Chazz, Atticus, Jesse, Zane, Jim and Hassleberry were sitting on the floor in front.

Somehow, all of the boys had been convinced to play Seven Minutes of Heaven, an idea coming from a collaboration between Jaden and Atticus. It took a while, but all of the boys eventually agreed, however begrudgingly.

So far, there had been a few couples of boys to go into the closet. First, was Hassleberry and Syrus, then Atticus and Jaden, and now, the boys outside were waiting on Jesse and Jim.

The timer on Jaden's phone rang, and he giggled. "Times up, guys!"

Atticus got up from his seat on the floor and opened the closet door, the two boys within almost stumbling out. Jesse and Jim were red in the face, their clothes ruffled, staring out at their friends awkwardly. Jaden and Atticus broke out in giggles.

The blue haired boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, looking up at the boy he'd spent the last seven minutes doing who knows what in that dark closet. "Let's never do that again."

"Yeah."

"Alrighty!" Jaden said. "Who's next? I'll pick the first person, and Sy can pick his partner… and I pick…"

Chazz sat and sighed as Jaden chose his next victim. Why had he even come along to this stupid get together? Oh, that's right. He'd been dragged here by that stupid little slacker Jaden. It was because of him that Chazz did anything stupid.

"Bastion!" Jaden exclaimed, pointing at the Ra sitting beside him.

Bastion's eyes widened, surprised to be mentioned after a night of being all but ignored. The smart boy thought this game was silly, but it could be a chance for him to get close to his beloved… it just all depended on who Syrus picked…

"Chazz." The turquoise haired boy decided.

"Wait, what?" Chazz said, shocked.

Bastion looked at Chazz. This was not the person he wanted to be kissing in that closet. His plan had failed.

"You and Bastion are the next players in the game!" Jaden said cheerfully.

"Hey, there is NO way I'm going in there!" Chazz said, clenching his fists in anger.

"Calm down, Chazz…" Bastion was a little uncomfortable with all of the staring going on in the room.

"Shut it, Misawa! I'm not going in that closet!"

"Chazz, you did join the game. You should've expected something like this to happen…" The British duelist was trying hard to keep Chazz from exploding in front of everyone.

"The Slacker brought me here, Misawa. I had no choice!"

"Chazz, just play the game…" Syrus requested, a frown on his small face.

"No Syrus, I'm not getting in there!"

Bastion sighed. "Come on, Chazz..." If they got this over and done with, there was a chance that in another round, he could be sent into the closet with the person he _really _wanted to be in there with.

"No, I'm staying here!" Chazz exclaimed. Syrus began making chicken noises, and the raven-haired boy glared daggers at him until he stopped. "I am _not _a chicken, Syrus!"

Finally, Atticus came up with a plan. "Hey, Chazz… if you go into that closet with Bastion, I'll make sure to put a really good word in with Alexis…"

Chazz suddenly grinned widely and jumped up to his feet. "Oh really? Great! Come on, Misawa, let's get this over and done with."

Bastion stood up slowly, walking over to the closet. "Alright then…"

Chazz giggled. "One small step for man…" he said, stepping into the closet. "One giant leap to winning Lexi's heart!"

Jaden shut the closet as soon as both boys were inside, and then locked it.

The closet was barely big enough to fit two people. Bastion and Chazz could get into no position where they could stop themselves from touching each other. Chazz attempted to nudge Bastion out of the way, but failed.

"Ugh, get out of the way, Misawa!" he shouted.

"There's no room for me to move, Chazz." Bastion said. It was true. Touching one shoulder was the wall of the small closet, and the other shoulder was almost touching Chazz's chin.

"I'm sure there is. I don't want you touching me!"

"I literally cannot move away from you."

Chazz groaned. "What use are you, then? You're too big for this game, dammit!"

It was true, Chazz was a great deal shorter than Bastion, and way skinnier. Chazz was so small and petite, and he may have even been a little jealous of the Ra's body type. Maybe if he was taller and more masculine looking, Alexis would want to date him! But there was nothing that could be done. Chazz wasn't growing any taller.

"This is so stupid…" the former Obelisk boy complained.

"I don't particularly want to be in here with you, you know." Bastion said with a sigh. Why couldn't he be in here with someone who was appealing to him? There was that one person… "Just calm down, Jim and Jesse managed this…"

"I don't care about them!" Chazz exclaimed. What a nice thing to say about his friends. "I care about my comfort! Now, fuckin' move or else!" Well, there wasn't much Chazz could do to Bastion in this small space.

"I can't!" Bastion said, for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Ugh, fine. Let me try." Chazz tried moving around, but all he ended up doing was head-butting Bastion in the chest.

Bastion sighed heavily. "I _said_, there's no room!"

"This closet is so small!" Chazz complained. Bastion rolled his eyes. That was what he had been saying for the whole time they'd been stuck in the closet. "How can anyone survive with such a small space to put their clothes in?"

"I don't know." Bastion said impatiently. He wanted to get to the more important topic: getting themselves the hell out of there. "Are we just going to stand here for seven minutes, or…?"

"Yeah, exactly. There's supposed to be more to it, but I'm not interested in that."

"They're going to be able to tell, you know…" Bastion said. All of the other couples shoved into the closet had come back out red faced and with crinkled clothes. Looking at Chazz's face, even in this low light, he could see that the former Obelisk boy was as pale as ever. No one would ever believe they'd been making out at all.

"I'm not interested!" Chazz snapped. "God, your voice is so annoying…"

"I'm sorry…?"

"Seriously, your accent is so irritating. You're in America, why don't you start sounding like an American?"

Bastion folded his arms across his chest, almost hitting Chazz in the face. "That is so rude! And also, racist."

"Oi, I'm not being racist! I'm just saying I don't like the sound of your voice!"

"You told me to start talking like an American because I live in America." Bastion explained. "That is so incredibly racist."

Chazz sighed in anguish. This whole situation was giving him a headache. "No, it's not."

Bastion was getting incredibly fed up too. "Just stop complaining about everything."

"What? I don't complain about everything!"

"So far tonight you've complained about this game, this closet, my accent…" Bastion said. He could understand Chazz's annoyance at the first two things, but to be so rude about the third? That was just unfair.

"I'm simply commenting on my dislikes, Misawa." Chazz said. Sure, there were a thousand more dislikes he had, but hopefully, Bastion wouldn't get him onto those.

"Well, you seem to dislike a lot." Bastion said with a frown. "I'm sorry you're not in here with Alexis. Maybe you'd be a lot quieter then." Okay, Chazz definitely wouldn't be quiet in a game where he had to go as far as possible with Alexis in seven minutes. He did not want to be the one who had to listen to that.

Chazz's pale face began to go beet red at the thought of being in this small, tight closet with the object of his affections. _K-kissing Alexis…? _"Umm… uh… just shut up."

Bastion rolled his eyes at the rich boy. "You're so rude."

"Says the one who rolled his eyes, I saw that, you know!"

"Well, you've been quite rude to me. I'm not in the mood to be nice to you."

"Oh, did I make you sad?" Chazz asked, with a mock pout, as if he was speaking to an upset child. "Poor Misawa!"

Bastion tried to ignore Chazz, and sighed. "Why did Syrus have to pick _you _to come in here with me?"

"Because he's a lil shit?" Chazz replied. "Why did Jaden have to pick you? Ugh, that stupid slacker…"

The Ra boy frowned. "Give Jaden a break, will you?"

"No! Oh, why did he have to drag me along…?" Chazz groaned. Well, it wasn't like he had many better things to do, but he could've been planning to win his dear sweet Lexi's heart right now! Damn Jaden, wasting his time…

"Hey, he dragged me along too." Bastion said, in an attempt to defend the brunette boy.

Chazz clenched his fist. "So this is all the slacker's fault…"

"It's not _that _bad, Chazz…" Bastion wondered whether Chazz would've preferred his current situation to being stuck with Jaden Yuki in this very closet. It was an interesting thought.

"Yeah, it is. I'm stuck in here with a piece of Ra rubbish with the most annoying voice in the world!"

Bastion was getting sick of Chazz's insults to his accent. "You're not the only one who wishes they were in here with someone else, so cut the complaining!"

"Shut up! I'm Chazz Princeton, I do what I want!" The petite boy said proudly.

"Well, you're succeeding in being very annoying."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Chazz said angrily. "You're the annoying one, with you existing and all."

Bastion simply sighed. He was so sick of this snobby boy. Why did Jaden and the others want to be friends with him at all?

As the taller boy pondered this, Chazz was still complaining. "Why must I be in here with _you_?" Chazz asked himself again. "Hell, I would've preferred Syrus. At least then there'd be more room in here!"

"I'm sorry for not being as small as Syrus." Bastion said, wondering why in Earth he had to be sorry for not being tiny and thin like the younger Truesdale brother.

"And, at least he's somewhat tolerable!" _At least he's not as annoying and immature as Jaden…_

"What have I done to annoy you so much?" Bastion really needed to know now. Chazz was being ridiculous and overreacting.

"Hm, let's see." Chazz said, putting a pale finger to his chin. 'It's your fault I'm a fuckin' Slifer, you're a show-off in duels, you're a huge frickin' nerd from another country, and you're making me very uncomfortable!"

"I'd leave if I could, Chazz, believe me. And will you stop being racist?"

"I am not being racist!" Chazz exclaimed.

"If my being from a country other than America is a reason to hate me, then you are racist." Bastion said with an exasperated sigh.

"Ugh, you're too sensitive…"

"You're too rude."

"You're too annoying."

Bastion decided to stop this conversation from going to where it was inevitably going to go, and tapped his foot impatiently. "Surely it's been seven minutes already…"

"If that's so, then… let us out!" Chazz shouted so loud, it hurt Bastion's ears.

"Jaden, may we please come out of the closet now?" Bastion asked calmly at the closet door. 'Jaden…?"

"Let us out!" Chazz repeated desperately.

Bastion out his ear to the door, listening for any signs of life outside. "I don't hear anyone out there…"

Chazz started wriggling around again, flailing his arms and almost slapping Bastion in the process. "Come on guys, this isn't funny!"

"Please, we really want to get out."

Chazz sighed and ceased his flailing. "They're not out there, are they?"

"I don't think so." Bastion admitted.

"Oh fuck! I need out of here!" Chazz commenced struggling again, hitting Bastion in the face with a wayward hand.

"Stop moving around, there's no room for it!" Bastion said, rubbing the red mark Chazz's petite hand had caused on his face. "Settle down. I'm going to call Jaden and ask him what's going on."

"Yeah, okay. Call your boyfriend."

Bastion blushed slightly as he found Jaden's number in his phone. "He's not my boyfriend…" he whispered. The phone began to ring.

"Hello?" said Jaden's voice from the other end.

"Oh, hi, Jaden. Where did you guys go?"

Chazz began to struggle again, trying to reach Bastion's phone. "Yeah, why did you abandon us, you slacker?!"

"We got bored 'cause you guys weren't doing anything, so we're downstairs getting food." Jaden said with a nervous laugh. It wasn't very nice to leave his friends locked up in a tiny closet like that, especially when he knew very well that Bastion and Chazz had a bit of trouble getting along.

"But we don't want to do anything with each other…" Bastion said, like he was pleading Jaden to let them out. Well, he sort of was.

"Aww, c'mon, Bastion, that's the point of the game!"

"Yes, I know…"

Chazz began shouting even louder, and Bastion had to cover up the ear closest to the shorter boy to avoid hearing damage. "Let us out, let us out, let us out!"

"You guys don't even have to do anything serious. Just kiss a bit!" Jaden said. He just wanted the two of them to get along for a little bit so they didn't ruin the whole game. "Then, you can come out of the closet."

"There's no way Chazz will go for that, Jaden. He hates me!" Bastion explained, trying to ignore Chazz's flailing and whining.

"I hate you more than the colour white!" Chazz interjected.

"See Jaden?" Bastion asked with a sigh. He still didn't fully understand what he had done to Chazz.

Jaden said something that Bastion couldn't hear, and the phone started beeping.

"Pardon? …Jaden…?" Bastion looked at the phone screen. "Oh my God, he hung up on me!"

"Ugh, slackers are so rude…"

"Speak for yourself. Well, it looks as if we won't be let out of here until we fulfil the conditions of the game…"

Chazz looked disgusted. "Yeah, not going to happen. Help me break down this door, will you?"

Bastion could tell that there was no way the door could be broken down. He wouldn't be able to get to the right angle or distance in this tiny space… "There's no room, Chazz. We'll both end up hurt."

"That sounds better than us kissing!" Chazz started struggling again, trying to get to the door.

"Am I really _that _unappealing to you?" Bastion asked, his arms crossed again.

Chazz looked at Bastion like he had said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. "You're Bastion Misawa, _not _Alexis Rhodes."

"You're not the person I want to be kissing either, but it's better than being stuck in here forever!" Why did Chazz have to be so difficult?

"Yeah, you'd rather be kissing Jaden, huh?" Chazz said teasingly, smirking.

Bastion looked at Chazz in shock. "No, not Jaden!"

"Oh, come on Misawa…" Chazz said. "I can tell by the way you look at that slacker that you're in love with him. 'The Chazz' knows!"

The Ra boy's cheeks started getting pink. "I am not!"

Chazz laughed a little at Bastion's blush. "Wow, you're so in love with Jaden, it's pathetic!"

"Some might say that your love for Alexis is pathetic." Bastion snapped.

"H-hey, my love for Alexis isn't pathetic!" Chazz stuttered, offended. "She loves me too, she just doesn't know it yet!"

Bastion shook his head. How many times did Alexis have to reject Chazz before he finally got the message? "Well, my non-existent love for Jaden isn't pathetic either!"

"Okay, fine." Chazz said, his teasing smirk gone. "Let's pretend you aren't smitten with the slacker. Who _do_ you want to kiss?"

"That is none of your business." Bastion replied seriously.

"Come on, tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"Why would I tell someone who hates me the name of the person I love?"

Chazz raised a perfect eyebrow. "…Fine. Don't tell me. I already know it's Jaden anyway."

"No, it isn't…" Bastion said with a sigh.

"You're gay for the slacker, Misawa, deal with it!"

Bastion blinked in shock. "I-I'm not gay!" Well, that was a lie. Bastion was gay. The only people who knew, though, were his family. He'd been too nervous to tell his friends, as of yet. Strangely enough, even when the group of friends were playing an all-male game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, no one questioned his sexuality except for Chazz.

"You're as gay you are British."

"I am not."

"You're not what?" Chazz asked, smirking again. "Gay or British?"

"Gay! I'm obviously British!"

"No, you're both. Don't be a liar, Misawa."

"Think whatever you want to think. I just really want to get out of here." Why did Chazz have to be the one to notice his sexuality? Couldn't it have been anyone but him? At least one of the other guys that actually weren't straight?

"So do I." Chazz said, sounding irritated. "But, obviously if someone wants to get out here so badly that they're willing to kiss someone of the same gender to do so, then that's gay!"

"It's the only way, Chazz!"

"Just break the door open!" Bastion definitely did look strong enough to do that.

"There isn't enough room for me to move to be able to break the door…" Did Chazz just not listen at all? It was getting very irritating for Bastion.

"Fine, Mr. I-Can't-Do-Something-Because-I'm-British-And-British-People-Are-Dumb!" Chazz said angrily, trying to push past Bastion and to the door, but failed.

"Chazz, you're too small… you're just going to get hurt…"

"So what? It's not like I don't get hurt all the time."

Bastion groaned. "For God's sake, Chazz… if you'd just kiss me already, we'd be out of here by now!"

"My lips are for Alexis. No one else!" He was struggling again, but he just couldn't manage to get past Bastion.

"Chazz…" Bastion sighed. "If we never get out of here, you'll never see Alexis, let alone kiss her."

Chazz looked like he'd just been told he was going to die soon. "I-I'll never see Alexis…? What a horrible nightmare!"

"Yes, it's terrifying!" Bastion said, hoping Chazz would be convinced to cooperate.

"W-what if when she finally realises that she loves me, I'm still stuck in here?" Chazz asked frantically. "I need to see my Lexi ASAP!"

"Then, kiss me."

"Fine…" Chazz said, looking disgusted. "But it's only to get out of here and see Alexis!"

"I know."

"Okay, here I go…" Chazz said, standing on his tiptoes, very slowly leaning in. Being so close to another person was causing his cheeks to go red. "Come on Chazz, you can do this…" After a few seconds, Chazz finally placed his lips onto Bastion, kissing him softly.

The kiss lasted just 10 seconds. When Chazz pulled away, he wiped his mouth in disgust. "Bleh! That was gross!"

"Yeah…" Bastion said, frowning.

"You tasted like freakin' vegetables! Yuck!"

"I'm going to call Jaden so we can get out of here..."

"Good…" Chazz said, still freaking out about the kiss.

Bastion dialled Jaden's number again, and greeted the other boy over the phone. "Jaden, we did it… we kissed…"

"And it was fuckin' horrible!" Chazz exclaimed.

"Aww, was it _that _bad?" Jaden asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes, apparently Chazz cannot enjoy kissing anyone but Alexis."

Chazz snickered and leaned into the phone. "And Bastion would rather kiss you, slacker!"

"Huh?"

Bastion blushed. "I-ignore him, Jaden…"

"Misawa's in love with you, Jaden!"

Jaden seemed to be stunned into silence.

"Stop it, Chazz!" Bastion snapped, his face getting warmer and pinker.

"Oi, slacker!" Chazz smirked. "Get over here quickly so you can let us out, and British boy can confess his love to you!"

"Stop it, Chazz, you're embarrassing…" Bastion said, sounding genuinely upset. But Chazz didn't stop there.

"And you can hug each other… kiss each other… fuck each other…"

Bastion blushed as brightly as possible. "I-I'm sorry, Jaden!" he stuttered, and immediately ended the call.


	2. Chapter 2

Chazz laughed at the taller boy. "Oh, the look on your face, Misawa… it's priceless!"

Bastion didn't understand how Chazz could find this funny at all. "How could you say those things to Jaden? That was so inappropriate!"

"Well, too bad, so sad. We're coming out of the closet soon, that's all that matters."

"You've probably just ruined my friendship with Jaden, Chazz!" Bastion snapped.

"No need to yell, I'm sure everything will be fine! You know that slacker never ditches his friends..."

"Everything's going to be awkward now... because he knows..."

Chazz pointed an accusing finger at Bastion. "Ha, so you admit that you love him!"

Bastion simply sighed, but he could feel tears coming on. He was trying not to think the worst… but what if Jaden hated him after this? Well, that didn't seem in his character… but what if Bastion lost the Slifer boy as his friend because of this? What would he do then?

"Hey Misawa? Cheer up, will you?" demanded Chazz, irritated.

"I just… want to get out of this closet and go back to my dorm…" Ugh, why did he even bother coming to this stupid thing? Oh, that's right. Because he was so desperate for Jaden to love him that he decided to play a stupid game, where he got a small chance of fooling around in a closet with the boy he loved, even though it probably wouldn't mean anything to the other.

"I just want to see Alexis…"

Bastion felt a little bad, but Chazz had to know. "Alexis is taken, you know."

Chazz glared at the Ra boy. "Oh, haha. 'The Chazz' isn't that easy to fool, Misawa."

"Seriously Chazz, she is."

Bastion's continuation with this 'joke' was starting to get to Chazz. He sure didn't look like he was lying… "D-don't be ridiculous, Misawa. If what you're saying is true, Lexi would've told me!"

"Well, she didn't tell you, but that doesn't make her relationship with Mindy and Jasmine any less valid."

"Liar!" Chazz shouted, lashing out at Bastion. "Liar, liar, liar!"

Luckily, the smaller boy wasn't very strong, so his punches weren't that painful, but that didn't make Bastion like them. "I'm not a liar! Alexis told me!" Well, Alexis hadn't told him exactly. Bastion had caught the three Obelisk girls kissing one day when he happened to walk close to their dorm. Alexis had no choice but to explain, then.

"Shut up!"

Bastion had grown tired of Chazz's violence, so he grabbed the small, pale hands in his own. "Calm down."

Chazz sighed, looking to the ground. He ceased his flailing, even though he had no way to continue, with Bastion's strong grip on his hands.

"I know it's hard to accept…"

"S-she could've said something…" Chazz stuttered, his bottom lip quivering.

"I guess she was worried how you'd react…"

"I-I just love her so much…" the pale boy whispered, tears beginning to fall from his stormy grey eyes. As soon as Bastion saw the tears, he pulled Chazz into a hug, the salty water discolouring his yellow school jacket. The space made it hard for him to move into the hug, but he made an effort.

"W-what are you doing…?" Chazz asked between sobs. "I-I don't want you touching me anymore…"

Bastion still held the embrace. "I'm trying to comfort you."

"Comfort...? I don't understand… I was a total bitch to you earlier…"

Bastion began stroking the back of the other boy's head with his hand, attempting to calm him. This was always what his parents had done when he was crying and wouldn't calm down, and it had never failed. "When someone is sad, you're meant to comfort them."

"I-I'm aware of that…" Chazz said, feeling less like crying and a bit more like going to sleep there right on the other boy's chest. Bastion was so comfy and warm… "But, I was being a total bitch to you earlier. Why do you even care?"

"I don't like seeing other people sad." Bastion explained, continuing the stroking of the raven strands. Chazz's hair was so incredibly soft and silky, like nothing Bastion had ever felt before.

Chazz had completely ceased crying now. "Well, never hang out with me, then."

"I hang around you quite often, if you've noticed."

"I've pretty much ignored you."

Being ignored definitely wasn't new for Bastion. "I know."

"But what I'm saying is, if you don't wish to see people who are upset, don't hang out with me."

"But.. I have to."

"Why?"

"Well, Jaden is always hanging around you!"

"Pay no attention to me, then." Chazz was beginning to get way too comfortable, wrapped up in Bastion's arms.

"That's not possible. You're not me! One can't just pretend you're not there!" Bastion said. "I don't like seeing sad people, I need to make them happy."

Chazz looked up to Bastion's face. "Wait… so you want to make me happy? Even after the racist comments, and the things I said about you and Jaden?"

"I can't just leave a person upset. That would be rude of me."

"Well, how do you suppose I get better?" "I mean, I've been upset for quite some time, but when you told me about...A-Alexis...that made things worse..."

"Well, you had to know about that... otherwise, you'd be chasing her with no chance of being with her..."

"I'll never be with Alexis..." Chazz said with a shuddered sigh. "I guess that means I'll never be happy..."

"Chazz, just because you can't be with Alexis doesn't mean you'll never find someone else to love." Bastion didn't want to be the one who completely shattered Chazz's hopes at love.

"Alexis was the love of my life! But I was never hers...I could never love someone else like I loved her..."

"One day you'll meet a different girl, and it'll be like Alexis never existed!"

"No, Bastion. I'm not even going to bother anymore. What's the point, really?"

"You can be happy…"

"How can I be happy? I'm never going to find someone like Alexis!" Chazz said, rather loudly, his head still against Bastion's chest. "Even if I did, things still won't change. Despite how much fun I have at this school, and the friendships I have...I am never going to be truly happy, Bastion!"

"Chazz…" Bastion whispered, commencing the stroking of the other boy's hair.

"W-why can't I have a life without worries, like Jaden?" The petite boy asked, his voice breaking like he was ready to cry again. "Don't tell anyone but...I envy that slacker. He's just always so happy...""

"I envy him as well..." _Who wouldn't envy Jaden Yuki? He's so talented, so cute… always happy…_

"Jaden has so many friends and no one hates him... I suppose he has a loving family as well..."

"He gets noticed by everyone so easily… I bet he never feels invisible…" It was almost like the two boys were having two separate conversations.

"Everybody loves Jaden. There's no way he's ever been depressed."

"I definitely envy him for that." Bastion said with a small sigh.

Suddenly, Chazz began to take notice of the other boy again. "Wait, Bastion… you've been depressed before? I've never noticed…"

'I've never noticed'. That was the phrase that always hurt Bastion. "Well, it's the lack of noticing that does it."

Chazz suddenly felt slightly guilty. "I never realised you got ignored so often."

"It happens all the time. I'm often convinced Jaden doesn't even notice me."

"I don't think you should worry about Jaden not noticing you." Chazz was trying his best to sound reassuring. He knew what it was like to be depressed with no one there to help you. "He never ignores his friends, no matter who they are!"

"I know that. I just want him to _notice_ me, you know?" Bastion was really desperate for Jaden to love him; he knew that. All he wanted was to be noticed by others, especially the object of his affections.

"Right, right..." Chazz nodded. "Well, why don't you talk to him when he gets here? I mean, tell the slacker that what I said were just jokes, but your feelings for him are true..."

"He didn't say anything on the phone... I doubt he shares my feelings..."

"Maybe he'll say something when he gets here?" The pale boy sighed, sounding a little aggravated. He was trying to help, but Bastion wasn't having any of it. "I don't know...I'm just trying to help!"

"I know, I know." Bastion nodded, noticing Chazz's annoyance. It was only a matter of time before Chazz got sick of Bastion and wanted nothing to do with him.

"Besides, if Jaden doesn't like you back, it's not the end of the world!"

"You see, Chazz, I love Jaden like you love Alexis." Bastion explained. "It may not be the end of the world, but it sure feels like it."

Chazz felt his heart begin to ache again. "You _had _to mention her again, didn't you? You're right though, it does feel like the end of the world."

Bastion felt a little bit of guilt. "I was just trying to explain my feelings."

"I understand how you feel towards Jaden, he's a great guy!" Chazz suddenly felt slightly sick. "I did not just say that…"

"Everyone knows you don't hate Jaden. You can drop the act." Bastion never understood why Chazz was so reluctant to accept Jaden's friendship. Bastion would give anything to have Chazz's relationship with Jaden!

"He isn't my friend, though."

"He is."

"He isn't! He's just some slacker who follows me around!" Chazz snapped. He couldn't have Bastion thinking that he cared about that little slacker Jaden!

"You follow him too."

"Well, uh… that's because I have nothing better to do."

"Just feel lucky that he cares so much about you."

"Jaden is a really good friend, I have to admit it." Chazz said, nervously. He knew the thought of being Jaden Yuki's friend shouldn't bother him so much. Honestly, Jaden was like his best friend. "I mean, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have any friends at all."

"It's the same for me."

"I can see why you love that slacker. And… I really hope he likes you back." Chazz admitted.

"Thank you. So do I." Bastion said, then looked down at his phone to check the time. "But he's taken so long to get here and let us out that I think he's forgotten me."

"Try calling him again."

Bastion found Jaden is his contacts list, and pressed 'call'.

"Oh, hey Bastion!" the boy on the other end of the line said.

"Jaden, where are you?"

"Ahaha, sorry Bastion, we started playing truth or dare, and we kind of… forgot about you." Jaden said, laughing nervously.

Bastion suddenly felt a little like crying. Those words hurt a lot, especially coming from Jaden.

"Seriously?!" Chazz shouted. "Fuckin' hell, Jaden, you slacker! How could you?"

"Just, come quickly Jaden. I need to talk to you."

"Alrighty! See you guys in a sec!" Jaden said, and then hung up.

Bastion put his phone into his jacket pocket, looking nervous and impatient.

"Oh, so you're going to tell him how you feel?"

The yellow nodded, anxiety clearly present in his eyes.

"Well, I wish you good luck. We can't have two broken hearts in the same room."

"Thanks, Chazz." Bastion said. The two boys could hear the sounds of a door being opened and footsteps from outside the closet.

"What's that?" Suddenly, the door was open and Jaden's smiling face was seen. "Jaden, I'm gonna strangle you!" Chazz shouted, wriggling to leave the closet, but he couldn't get past Bastion.

Bastion however, was much more cheerful to see the Slifer boy. "I'm so glad you're here!" the yellow beamed as he stepped out of the closet.

Chazz stumbled and fell from the closet, exclaiming as he did so. "Shit!" he stood up quickly. "I'm free!"

"Hey, Jaden? Can I talk to you privately for a second?" Bastion said shyly, a slight pink blush on his cheeks.

"Sure, Bastion!" the brunette said with a grin.

"What? You mean I don't get to strangle him yet?" Chazz asked, disappointed.

Bastion looked to his acquaintance. "Uh, just let me speak to him. Maybe you should go outside for a minute, Chazz."

"Ugh, fine." Chazz turned dramatically, making his way out of the open door and slamming it. Honestly, he hoped the best for Bastion. He wasn't such a bad guy, and he had to admit, him and Jaden would make a kind of cute couple.


	3. Chapter 3

**A note to my reviewer: I've been writing this story for quite a long while, and I'm only uploading it now. Also, there's no need to tell me how to manage my fics :)**

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><p>Chazz decided to listen in, placing his ear against the wall next to the door. Bastion began to speak.<p>

"Okay, Jaden. I have to tell you something I've been wanting to say for a long time."

Chazz could only hear what Bastion was saying, so he had to mentally fill in the blanks for what Jaden's replies were.

"I love you, Jaden, and I have since not long after we met. All I need to know is… do you love me too?"

There was a few seconds of silence, and Chazz had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, Bastion spoke up again, his voice shaky. "O-oh… I-I understand, Jaden…"

Chazz's eyes widened, feeling Bastion's pain. Both of them had become heartbroken tonight. He could hear from the tone in Bastion's voice that he was absolutely crushed.

"Uh, um… I-I should go…" Bastion said, and Chazz moved away from the door. "See you later, Jaden."

The door opened, and Chazz stood with his back against the wall, trying to look casual like he totally _hadn't _been listening in on Bastion and Jaden's conversation.

"Bastion! Uh, I'm sorry…"

"Oh, i-it's no big deal." Bastion said, no much louder than a whisper. "I was crazy to think he'd love me anyway…" The yellow began to walk away, but Chazz started to follow behind.

"Bastion, wait! Where are you going?"

"To my dorm."

Chazz walked faster, so he was walking at Bastion's side. "Well, uh… I'm coming with you!"

"Why?" Bastion asked. Why was Chazz not ignoring him like everyone else?

"Well, you comforted me when I was heartbroken. It's only fair that I do the same."

"I'm fine, Chazz." If anyone believed what Bastion had just said, they'd have to be blind and deaf, for the expression on his face and the sound of his voice easily gave him away.

"You're not. Don't lie to me."

"Okay, I'm not fine." Bastion admitted. "But there's nothing that can be done about it anyway."

"Bastion, I want to cheer you up. I'll think of something when we get to your room." Chazz said. "Just remember… it's not the end of the world. There's much more to life than being in love."

"I know."

"You like school, and math and science. And sport, I've noticed you like that too!" Chazz was trying to sound enthusiastic and encouraging, but he was most likely failing. Bastion wasn't looking any happier. "You can be happy doing those hobbies, plus duelling."

"I can do all of those things, but my heart is still broken." Bastion said, sounding miserable.

"Ah, you can find another boy to fall in love with!"

"I've never loved anyone but Jaden."

"Didn't you have a thing with that Amazoness lady? What's her name…" Chazz was searching his brain for the woman's name. "Tania! But, she's a girl."

"Well, if you noticed, she brainwashed me and then abandoned me. Not exactly the greatest basis for a relationship."

Chazz sighed. Yeah, he did remember something along the lines of brainwashing and abandonment. "Hmm…"

The two boys were now outside the large yellow Ra dorm building. They walked inside the main doors, and made their way down the hallways until they found the door to Bastion's room. Bastion unlocked the door and turned the handle, opening the door.

Chazz looked around. "Oh, I remember this place!" The pale boy remembered clearly of how he had snuck into this room, stealing Bastion's practice deck and throwing it into the ocean. _Wow, that was so long ago… _Chazz thought. _I was so immature and snobby._

Suddenly, the difference in the room sunk in. "Holy shit! I don't remember all of this math on the walls!"

"Well, that time you were in here was just after my room was painted." Bastion explained. "That's why I wasn't here. I was staying with… Jaden…" he began thinking of that night. He had been so happy to sleep so close to Jaden… it gave him so much hope…

"Right. Maybe we should avoid talking about that slacker for now." Chazz suggested, and Bastion nodded. Unexpectedly, Chazz took the other boy's hand and led him to the bed, and they both sat down together.

"So, how are you feeling now?" Chazz asked. He hadn't let go of Bastion's hand yet, which confused the yellow boy. Well, this whole evening had been confusing to Bastion.

"Not great." Bastion admitted.

"Is there anything you want to do to make you feel better?"

"I don't know of anything."

"What about… schoolwork! You love schoolwork."

"I've finished all of my schoolwork."

"Alright, let's duel! That'll make you feel better." Chazz grabbed his deck from his pocket, prepared to duel.

"I'd need to prepare for a duel, Chazz. And I'd need to be able to concentrate."

"Right. So, what do usually when you get sad?" Chazz put his deck back into his pocket, disappointed. He would've loved another chance to duel Bastion.

"I just wait for the sadness to go away." Bastion explained. He wished he could just make himself be happy, but it never worked.

"How long does that usually take?" Chazz asked.

"It can take from a few hours to a day. Well, that's until it's gone away enough that I can function." That explained to Chazz why Bastion had been missing in class quite a lot lately. The teachers would sometimes be setting aside work for him to do when he was away… now Chazz knew why.

"And how often do you feel sad like this?"

Bastion looked at Chazz, listening intently. _You sound like my psychologist… _"Whenever someone ignores or forgets about me. Especially when those people are people I care about. And, well… now. I've never experienced heartbreak like this before, but it manages to make me incredibly sad."

Chazz sighed. This was proving to be very difficult. "Is there anyone who never ignores you? If there is, you should hang out with them."

"I had one person."

"Who?"

"Jaden…"

"Oh, shit." Chazz mumbled, thinking for a second. He stood up, dramatically pointing at the Ra boy, who was still sitting down. "Bastion Misawa! Listen to me when I say this!"

"Alright…" Bastion said, confused.

"From now on, I will be the person who will never, ever ignore you! You got that? Forget about Jaden, you have me now!" Chazz exclaimed. He was being so nice… so aggressively nice.

"You want to be my friend…?" The Ra asked, astonished. "I thought I was…" he faked an American accent, "annoying, British, Ra rubbish."

Chazz sighed, feeling guilty for how he had treated Bastion earlier. "Look, I don't know why, but… it's nice to talk to you."

"Thanks." Bastion said. That was the first time anyone had ever said that to him. "It's nice to talk to you too. When you're not insulting me, that is."

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine."

"But, if you really want…" Chazz said shyly, "I can be your friend…"

Bastion looked incredibly shocked and grateful. "Really…? You'd do that?"

"Well, why not? We're both heartbroken, upset fools. We have that in common."

"Alright…" Bastion said, and Chazz sat back down on the bed next to Bastion.

"Uh, sorry if I'm no good at conversations. Jade—other people usually start them."

"It's fine." The Ra boy laid back on the bed. So much had happened today, and he was quite exhausted.

"Well, I don't exactly want to give you the silent treatment." Chazz said, looking down at the other boy. He knew that with Bastion's hatred of others' ignorance towards him, he'd really hate a lack of conversation.

"What is there to say, though?"

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Bastion was sure that he and Chazz didn't share any common interests other than Duel Monsters. He didn't want to bore the only friend who would never ignore him! "I don't know."

"How about we talk about something that interests you?"

"I doubt anything I'd want to talk about would interest you. Sorry for being so boring…" That was how Bastion had come to see himself. Boring. Why else would people constantly ignore, forget, and disregard him?

"Bastion, if it really helps you, then you should talk about what you like! Forget about me, think about yourself." Honestly, Chazz did think that he should learn about Bastion now that they were friends. He wanted them to be able to stay friends, and they needed common interests for that to happen.

"But, you're heartbroken too..." Bastion said. Of course he was thinking about Chazz's feelings more than his own. That was just the kind of person he was. "I don't want you to be all bored and upset... maybe we should do something for both of us..."

"Well, what do we both like?"

"Duelling."

"Is that it?" Surely, they had common interests besides that. "Do you want to talk about Duel Monsters?"

"Well, what else do you like?"

"Uh, um…" Chazz hesitated for a moment. Could he really trust this guy? "That's a good question…"

"Surely you like things other than Duel Monsters..."

"Oh, of course I do!" Chazz said. "It's just… I've never told anyone about my hobbies other than duelling."

"We're friends now, I wouldn't judge you." Bastion reassured. "As long as you haven't murdered anyone or committed any serious crimes…"

"Okay, where the fuck did that come from?!" Chazz asked, very loudly. "I would never! I mean, just because I've been the victim of a serious crim—" he covered his mouth with one hand before he could go any further.

Bastion simply stared at Chazz in shock.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Chazz mumbled from behind his hand. He couldn't have anyone knowing about that!

Bastion sighed, taking the hand not on Chazz's mouth into his own hand. "You can talk to me… we're friends now."

"P-promise you won't tell anyone?" Chazz asked, removing his hand from his face so he could speak properly.

"I promise."

Chazz sighed, working up the courage to tell someone about this. He'd never dared to tell anyone about this. "A-all I have to say is… I get abused by my big brothers…"

"I knew they were no good…" Bastion said, feeling a little angry. As soon as Bastion laid eyes on Slade and Jagger Princeton, he knew they were trouble. The way they treated their youngest brother was simply deplorable! Making sure he wasn't overstepping any boundaries when Chazz was in this state, especially when he didn't know the circumstances of the boy's abuse, he had to ask permission to comfort him. "Is it alright if I hug you again?"

"I-if you want…" Chazz asked, tears welling up in his grey eyes.

Bastion hugged the smaller boy, stroking his soft raven strands again in an attempt to comfort him.

Chazz actually wrapped his arms around Bastion, crying into his chest. "I-it happens so often!"

Unlike other kids at Duel Academy, who were so glad to go home and see their families on break, Chazz hated it. His brothers were so cruel. He'd rather stay at school for the holidays, like Jaden always did, but Slade and Jagger would never allow that.

"I'm really, really sorry, Chazz…" Bastion whispered, continuing the comforting stroking. He wished there was something he could do for the other boy.

"Sometimes, they t-take it too far, and…" The raven-haired boy couldn't finish his sentence, as he only began to sob louder and harder.

"You don't have to keep talking about this if its making you upset…"

"I'm sorry I'm such a b-baby, Bastion…" the boy said, calming his sobs a little.

"You're not a baby. It's very understandable for you to be upset by these things that have happened to you. Honestly, it would be strange if you weren't upset…"

"M-my brothers call me a worthless, shameful baby all the time…"

It was quite obvious that Slade and Jagger Princeton were heartless monsters. If Bastion believed in using violence to solve his problems, he'd have an uncontrollable desire to punch them, but he really wanted to duel them and kick their asses severely. That would teach them to mess with Bastion's friend!

"You're not worthless or shameful... you're a talented duelist and person... If your brothers tell you otherwise, they're just horrible people."

Chazz's face warmed up a little, a small blush tinting his porcelain cheeks. "Y-you think so…?"

"I know so." Bastion said, sounding a little confident.

"Thanks…"

"No problem."

Chazz rested his chin on Bastion's shoulder. "I kind of wonder what it's like to have a loving family…" Chazz used to have a loving family, but not one he remembered well. His parents died in an accident when he was very, very young, leaving his big brothers to raise him for most of his life.

"Uh, you know..." Bastion said, wondering if this was okay to say to someone he had only recently become friends with. "If you ever decide you want to leave your family, you can... come and stay with mine..."

"What?"

"If you want to, you can come and stay at my house."

Chazz looked at Bastion, confused. "Bastion, we barely know each other, and you offer to let me stay at your house?"

"We've known each other for a few years, Chazz. And, if you're getting hurt at your home... you should stay with someone who won't hurt you..."

"I don't know…" Chazz said. It would be nice to stay somewhere where he would be safe, but how did he know he'd really be safe? "My brothers could easily find me and take me back."

"I'll make sure to protect you so they can't take you back. And my family will too!"

Chazz's blush was bright red, completely contrasted to his pale, pale cheeks. "You'll… protect me…?"

"Of course."

"Bastion, that's… awfully sweet of you…"

Bastion blushed as well. "It's no problem."

"And, if you don't mind, I'll take you up on that offer. I don't want to be any trouble, though." Chazz could admit he was a little high maintenance, but he truly didn't want to disturb people who only wanted to help him.

"You won't be any trouble."

"Great." Chazz said with a small smile.

Bastion smiled slightly also. "If you have anything else you need to get off your chest, just talk to me, alright?"

"Will do. You're so nice, Bastion." Chazz admitted.

"Thanks. I try."

"Seriously, how could someone ever ignore you? You're just so kind, who wouldn't want a kind friend?" Chazz was simply amazed how someone could be so nice. Especially someone like Bastion, who had been ignored and disregarded by people around him. How had it not made him bitter?

"Well, I don't know." Bastion said with a small blush. Having someone like Chazz Princeton speak to him so kindly was rather overwhelming for the British duelist. He was so grateful to have him as his friend.

"But now that you're my friend, you're going to get all the attention you deserve!" The pale boy declared proudly, like someone's proximity to him made them the most popular person in the world.

"Thank you. You really are a nice person, Chazz."

Chazz's face flushed. "Oh, not really."

"Seriously, no one has been this nice or listened to me for a while... I really appreciate it." said Bastion, smiling at Chazz.

"Well, I guess I'm just returning the favour. You offered me a chance to stay at your place, and I really appreciate that..."

"Just… thanks so much, Chazz…" Bastion pulled Chazz into another hug, showing his appreciation towards the other boy.

"No, Bastion, thank _you_." Chazz said. He really enjoyed hugging Bastion. Being in Bastion's arms made him feel so safe and warm, he just didn't want to let go. "God, British people are so nice…"

"Well, at least you're saying nice things about British people now."

"Yeah… sorry for all that racism before." The spiky-haired boy rested his head on the other boy's shoulder.

"It's okay. I forgive you."

Chazz couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when Bastion let go of him and broke up the hug.

"Well, now that we're friends, we should talk some more about each other..." Chazz said. "So, why are you such a nerd?"

"Well, people say I'm a nerd because I love math and science." Bastion explained. People had been calling him a nerd his whole life. At least now it was coming from someone who cared about him instead of some ignorant bully.

"But why do you like them?" The black-clad boy asked.

"Well, I've always loved them. Probably because I just have a natural affinity for them. People usually like doing things they're good at."

"That makes sense. But do you really enjoy math so much that you need to write equations all over your fuckin' walls?" Chazz said, taking another look at the countless equations on the room's walls.

"Well, the wall is a very convenient place to write my equations." Bastion was always thinking in equations. Duels, how to hit a ball in baseball, and even his original plan to confess to Jaden were just some of the things he managed to calculate on the walls. "There's a lot more space there than on paper."

"Why don't you just write smaller on paper? If you did that, there'd be more room for your silly math stuff!"

"Don't worry, Chazz. I like writing on walls. I always paint the walls when I'm done anyway." Ah… painting his dorm room walls… something else he'd done with Jaden… and Syrus, but Bastion had barely taken any notice of him at that time. _Wow, I need to stop thinking about Jaden. I'll just make myself depressed again, and we can't have that._

Chazz laughed. "You're such a fuckin' nerd…"

"I know, I know."

"Please don't tell me that you write on walls at your place too!"

"Uh… well yes, I do." The only time Bastion had gotten in trouble as a child was when he wrote on the walls, since he was incredibly well behaved otherwise. Nowadays, his parents said he can write on the walls of his own bedroom only, as long as he buys paint to repaint the walls with his own allowance.

"So, I'm going to have to see math everyday on break?" Chazz asked, still laughing a little at Bastion's nerdiness.

"I'll paint my walls as soon as we get home so you don't have to see it, okay?"

"Okay, good. As long as the paint isn't white, though." Chazz's hatred for the colour white was well known around the Academy, since when Chazz Princeton didn't like something, he vocalised it loudly so everyone knew. Bastion found this particular dislike rather ironic, though, as Chazz's skin was one of the whitest things he'd ever seen.

"I won't. My walls aren't even white anyway."

"Good… white is such a disgusting colour." Chazz shuddered. "It makes me want to puke! Stains show up so easily on white things…"

"I know, Chazz. You said all of this after we left the Society of Light."

Chazz shuddered again. "Don't remind me of that ridiculous cult, Bastion. I barely remember most of it, but I sure am glad it's gone."

"Yeah, it really wasn't fun. I can't believe I joined willingly…" The last part of Bastion's statement was very quiet, but Chazz did hear it, and it shocked him.

"What?!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed.

"Oh, right. Nobody knows about that…" Bastion said awkwardly. He couldn't believe he just let that slip out!

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"I thought people would acknowledge me if joined the Society... I needed recognition, or I would've…" Bastion stopped, unwilling to let another thing slip that made him feel weak.

"Would've what…?" Chazz asked, concerned.

"Uh, you know…" Bastion hinted to what he was talking about. He knew Chazz wouldn't let up, but he didn't want to have to say the words.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Bastion." the petite boy stated, confused.

"Well, I was incredibly depressed," Bastion said with a sigh. "And joining the Society seemed much better than the other option I had."

"Other option…?" Chazz still looked confused, but Bastion knew he had figured it out when Chazz grabbed his hand and gasped.

Feeling ashamed, Bastion turned his head away. Chazz was rubbing his thumb up and down the back of Bastion's hand in sympathy.

"Bastion, don't ever think of something so stupid…" Chazz said, a little stunned that such a logical person would think of suicide as a viable option.

"I don't think about it much anymore…" said Bastion. He hated the fact that he ever considered doing that to himself, but he'd been so depressed that it seemed like the only option for him.

"Good, you have no reason to." After he said that, Chazz lowered his voice. "Don't be like me…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me, please." Although Bastion hadn't heard exactly what Chazz had said, he had a bit of an idea, and he didn't want Chazz bottling that up inside. It was no good for him.

"I said, I don't want you to be like me…" the pale boy repeated, begrudgingly. He rested his head on the other boy's shoulder. Somehow, being closer Bastion made Chazz feel a lot better than he would in this situation. "I mean… I've thought about doing that kind of thing as well…"

Bastion felt a small bit of guilt. "Neither of us will ever act on those thoughts, right?"

"Neither of us could ever do such a thing. We have to take care of each other now." Chazz agreed.

"Good."

Chazz sighed, his head comfortably now resting just next to Bastion's neck. Bastion tilted his head so it was just touching Chazz's, the softness of the other boy's hair against his face.

"You're a really good listener, Bastion." Chazz said after a few minutes of silence.

"Thanks. So are you." Bastion replied.

"Thanks, I suppose." Suddenly, Chazz realised that he and Bastion may have been too close. They were friends, sure, but nothing more, and two completely platonic male friends should never hold hands or get all touchy-feely with each other! And, with Bastion being gay, he couldn't lead him on like that! Despite those thoughts, he didn't move yet. "Uh… Bastion? Why are we holding hands?"

"You held my hand."

"I did, didn't I…" Chazz let go of Bastion's hand, and backed away so they was a considerable space between them.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Bastion said. Of course, with him being gay and Chazz being straight, Chazz was bound to get uncomfortable about them getting _too _close.

"No need to be sorry. Just, don't let me do that that again." _You can't have me questioning everything…_

"Right. Okay." Bastion said, feeling a little upset. He was happy with how close they were. It comforted him, since even though he couldn't have love, he could have really close friendship.

Chazz wasn't even looking at Bastion. He was way too embarrassed about their previous interactions. That just wasn't how a straight guy was meant to act towards his male friend! Even if said male friend gave really comfy, warm hugs and smelt really good… _Oh, stop it, Chazz!_

"So, uh… what do you want to talk about?" Chazz asked awkwardly, still not making eye contact with Bastion.

"I don't know…" Bastion said with a sigh. Things were just going to be awkward forever.

"I don't know either."

Bastion stared at Chazz's face as he looked away from him. He was quite an attractive looking person.

"Jade—I mean, some people say that talking helps friendships grow. And I do want us to stay friends."

"Well, I have no idea what to talk about… sorry you ended up with such a boring friend…" Great. Bastion was feeling depressed again, and just when he'd cheered himself up.

"Hey, I never said you were boring!" Chazz shouted, feeling accused.

"I know you didn't say it. I did." Bastion knew that people didn't find him particularly interesting, because they would take more notice otherwise. He tried his hardest to be interesting, but nothing really seemed to work.

"You're not boring." Chazz said, but Bastion didn't feel convinced himself.

"Uh, thanks."

"Look, if you want to talk about your interests, go ahead! Math, sports, family, you name it! I'm up for a conversation."

"I'm not really in the mood to talk anymore." Bastion said, looking at the ground.

"Great. You're upset again. What's wrong?" Chazz asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine." _No, I'm not._

"You don't look fine."

"There's nothing to worry about, seriously."

"Alright…" Chazz sighed as Bastion laid down on his bed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. "Hey, don't go to sleep just yet. I'm still here."

"I know you're here. I'm not going to sleep, I'm just lying here."

"Good." Chazz stated, staring at Bastion's face. He was desperately trying to think of a conversation starter. "So, what's being a Ra like?"

"The facilities are nice." Bastion said plainly.

"Well, anything would have to be better than Slifer's facilities. They're really shit…" Toilets and showers that he had to share with others, that were located outside his room, were simply horrendous to Chazz. It was terrifying when he needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Besides, there weren't even enough power points to have his blow-dryer and hair straightener plugged in at the same time!

"Yeah, they are…" Bastion had only used the Slifer bathrooms a few times, but they were very unclean and gross.

"It's so annoying, since there's only one shower, and everyone blames _me _for using all the hot water!" Sure, Chazz took a long time in the shower, but he knew of other people who take way longer, and he was quite sure those guys were staying in there for that long for reasons other than hygiene.

"Well, if people bother you, you can use my shower. I'm the only one who uses it, and there's always plenty of hot water." Bastion offered. Was he stepping over the line again and making Chazz uncomfortable? All he wanted was to be nice.

"Oh, thanks." Chazz said, then mumbled under his breath. "So kind…"

"No problem." Bastion said, glad his offer was well received.

"What's the food like here? Do you get plenty of meat? What about fried shrimp?"

"Yes, lots of meat and fried shrimp. Every night."

"You're so lucky! We get really crappy food, if you can even call it food, and fried shrimp is only on the menu once a week!" Chazz just adored fried shrimp, but the problem was, Jaden did too. And if Chazz was even a minute late to dinner, his fried shrimp would be gone.

"Well, if you want, I could save you some fried shrimp and bring it to you."

"Wow, Bastion, you're offering to do so many nice things for me," Chazz smiled. "It's like you're trying to ensure we stay friends, or something."

"Well, I am…"

"Don't worry, even if I don't show it, I do really want us to stay friends as well."

"Good." That cheered Bastion up a little.

"I can't believe I just admitted that." Chazz said, still smiling.

"I'm glad you did." Bastion felt a lot better about himself and his friendship with Chazz now that he knew Chazz definitely valued their relationship, even after all of the awkward moments.

"But 'The Chazz' never admits those kinds of things! I haven't even told Jaden I even consider him my friend yet. I haven't told Atticus I care for him!"

"It's okay, Chazz. I don't think any less of you." Honestly, Bastion thought more of Chazz now that he was opening up to him. It made him feel a little special as well.

"That's good."

The two boys looked at each other and smiled, so happy for their relationship. They'd both been through their own fair share of heartbreak and depression, and it felt great to finally get to share those feelings with someone who understood.

"Hey, do you mind if I just…?" Not finishing his sentence, Chazz laid down on the bed next to Bastion. "Hey, how come we've never spoken like this before?"

"Well, you hated me, remember?" Bastion said, feeling nervous because of Chazz's resumed proximity to him, lying on the bed side by side.

"Yeah, but it's really nice to talk to you."

"It's nice to talk to you as well."

Chazz smiled proudly. "Well, of course it's nice to talk to 'The Chazz'!"

Bastion laughed a little at Chazz's silly nickname for himself.

"What's so funny, Bastion?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Alright, then."

The two of them just continued to smile at each other sweetly, eventually making each other blush. Chazz sighed, and then so did Bastion. Chazz suddenly realised their actions were roaming from the realm of 'platonic' again, so he turned around on the bed so he was no longer facing Bastion.

"Chazz, what's wrong?" Bastion asked, worrying that he'd done something 'too gay' again and freaked Chazz out.

"Uh, nothing…" That was a lie. He was having an internal struggle with himself. 'The Chazz' was straight, nothing else, and there was no way he could consider any other orientation!

"Why'd you turn away?"

"No reason." Chazz said with a sigh.

"…Are you sure?" Bastion asked, hoping that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Oh my God, Bastion! I'm fine!" Chazz snapped, making him seem anything but fine.

"Okay, okay…" Bastion said quietly. _Why do I even ask…?_

"When someone says they're fine, it means they're fine, got it?"

"I was just making sure…"

Chazz sighed and rolled over again so he was lying on his back. Looking up at the ceiling, he noticed even more equations. "You even wrote math up there…?"

"Yes." Bastion said, looking at the equations in question and reviewing them, checking for any errors.

"I don't even understand what is going on up there…" Sure, Chazz was quite good at math, but Bastion was _way_ more advanced. He'd never seen half of those symbols he was using.

"I'm planning for a duel."

Chazz smiled and shook his head. "Using equations for a duel. Such a nerd…"

"Equations are an easy way for me to figure out strategies to use in duels against challenging opponents."

The pale boy almost scoffed at Bastion's use of the word 'easy' when speaking about those equations of his, but he controlled himself. "That's so nerdy and strange, but somewhat interesting…" he said, smiling. "So, you said you were planning for a duel. Who against?"

"Uh, Jaden. I'm hoping to defeat him so I can advance to Obelisk Blue."

"You could've gone on to Obelisk after you defeated me, you know. The opportunity was right there!"

"I am aware. It wouldn't feel right for me to advance before I've beaten Jaden. He's the best duelist in our year."

"That's true, he is." Chazz agreed. He never would've agreed with that statement a few years ago. "Well, if that's what you want to do, then go ahead."

"The only problem is… going to Obelisk without knowing anyone there is kind of nerve-wracking." Sure, Bastion knew Alexis, but she would be separated into the girl's dorm. He knew Atticus, somewhat, but he was much older.

"I'll be an Obelisk soon enough as well! They can't keep me in that Slifer craphole forever."

"Wouldn't it be great if we managed to get into Obelisk at the same time?" Bastion asked. "I mean, we'd both have a friend there to back us up."

Chazz laughed. "That sounds like a plan."

"Great."

Chazz and Bastion went into another silence, and Bastion stared at the other boy. Chazz's lips looked so nice and soft, it would be so great to kiss him… _How could I think such a thing…? Ugh, stop being so ridiculous, Bastion!_

Chazz looked at the ceiling again. "I really miss being an Obelisk, you know?"

"It must've been nice." Bastion replied, still admiring Chazz's beautiful facial features.

"Yeah, it was very nice!" Chazz said, feeling very enthusiastic about the Obelisk Blue dorms, "The rooms are so nice and clean, there's people there who will clean up for you! The food is so good… truffles, foie gras, caviar, lobster… I really miss that food…"

That kind of food didn't really sound that appealing to Bastion. He was usually happy with a good salad of vegetables. "It sounds… fancy."

"Very fancy! I fuckin' love fancy food…" Chazz was caught up in his love of fine dining. That was the kind of food he used to get at home! "When you become an Obelisk, you'll get to experience the amazing food!"

Bastion smiled as Chazz continued speaking. He went on to speak about how great the bathrooms were, and then the beds. But Bastion was too distracted to respond.

Eventually, Chazz noticed Bastion wasn't responding at all. He looked at the other boy, and saw him staring. "You alright there?"

Bastion nodded.

"You just went all silent…"

"I was listening."

"Oh, okay. I was afraid you were getting bored!"

"No, I like listening to you talk," Bastion said happily.

That comment made Chazz smirk. "So, shall 'The Chazz' continue speaking?"

"Sure," Bastion was still staring. Was he starting to develop feelings for Chazz, or was it purely aesthetics? He'd have to calculate it later.

"I have no idea what to talk about now," Chazz said, disappointed in himself.

"You don't _need_ to talk," Bastion stated, "I'm just fine with lying here with you…"

"Oh. Okay." Chazz said with a very slight blush. "Hmm, these Ra beds are comfy." He was trying to divert the conversation away from the blush, which was honestly too slight for Bastion to even see.

"Yeah, they are."

"I mean, I have my own special bed in my room, but the beds that the rest of the Slifers get are so horrible… the must've been so cheap…" Chazz complained. "That reminds me of that time Jaden and Syrus just barged into my room and started to jump on my bed! They didn't even knock! Sure, that was before my door was attached to the hinges, so there was no door to knock on, but still, it's so rude!"

Bastion really couldn't help staring at Chazz. He was so sweet and cute looking, there was no way he could look away!

Chazz stopped talking and looked at Bastion, raising an eyebrow. "You right there?"

"Yes."

"I know you've been staring at me Bastion, I'm not blind."

"Oh. Sorry." Bastion said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, could you stop that? It's kind of creepy."

Bastion's mood dropped again. He tried to keep his face neutral, but he couldn't help but look sad. "Ah, sorry. I'll stop…"

Chazz was confused by Bastion's facial expression. "What's with the sad face? I didn't say anything bad!"

"It's nothing, Chazz."

"I'm not stupid, Bastion. Something's up." Chazz said with an annoyed tone. "Now, I'll ask again. What's with the sad face?"

"Well, I'm making a sad face because I'm upset."

"No duh! What I'm asking about is _why _you're upset!"

"I'm upset because…" Bastion took a deep breath. Chazz wanted the truth, but the truth could be the thing that would ruin their new friendship. It had to be told though. "I-I'm starting to like you a lot, but you're straight and you can never like me back!"


End file.
